Barnaby/McCarthy - einfach genial!!!

NHL fines each team $25,000

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Associated Press


NEW YORK -- The New York Rangers and New York Islanders were each fined $25,000 Wednesday for two pregame altercations a night earlier.


Players from both teams congregated near the center line and became involved in a confrontation, creating a situation that could have escalated.


The penalties were handed down based on the teams' violation of Rule 56(g), which says that "Any Teams whose players become involved in an altercation, other than during the periods of the game, shall be fined automatically $25,000."


The original altercation began at center ice when Rangers forward Matthew Barnaby and Islanders forward Jason Blake came together.


Barnaby said that Blake kept inching closer to the Rangers end until finally he got too close.


"He was coming over to our side and I came across and I bumped into him by mistake," Barnaby said with a slight grin. "Things escalated from there.


"We just bumped into each other, had a few choice words and everyone kind of got in. Nothing crazy."


Rangers enforcer Sandy McCarthy was soon paired up with Islanders counterpart Eric Cairns. They exchanged heated words and the scrum broke up shortly after _ but not for long.


"It looked bad but it wasn't really a big deal," Islanders forward Mark Parrish said. "A game like this is high on energy and high on emotion and they rode it harder than we did."


Cairns and McCarthy came together again at the red line moments later, this time on the opposite end of the ice near the penalty boxes. They jabbed their sticks at each other's causing McCarthy's blade to break off and sail through the air.


Again both teams' full complement of players got together. Cairns and McCarthy appeared to come close to dropping their gloves, but neither seemed to want to be the first to do it.


The Rangers won the game 5-0.